Warning: Minor SPOILERS for the Agatha All Along finale.By many accounts, Agatha All Along has successfully cast its spell over audiences with a two-part finale that concluded its story in epic fashion. Even before the finale, though, the series charmed viewers with a fittingly spooky aesthetic that evoked everything from classic spooky season films to beloved musicals—notably with a major nod to Wicked in episode 7. Through it all, a musical underscore colored the story with shades of whimsy, horror, and musical theater.
For this, audiences have composers Michael Paraskevas and Christophe Beck to thank. The two composers have worked together on a number of projects prior including Hawkeye and WandaVision and brought elements of the latter to bear in Agatha All Along. The composers also worked on incorporating “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” by Frozen 2 songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Andersen-Lopez into their orchestral score for the series.
Questions surrounding whether Agatha All Along will get a season 2 have emerged since well before the Marvel Cinematic Universe show's release.
Screen Rant spoke with Michael Paraskevas about his work on the score for Agatha All Along. He shared ways in which music from WandaVision made it into the series, discussed his approach to themes, and his favorite musical moments from theAgatha All Along finale. He also shared his excitement about the future of characters like Billy Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Michael Paraskevas Talks Making Agatha All Along Sound Different From The Greater MCU
It Was Necessary To Fit “Really Broken Characters”
Screen Rant: I know you've done a lot of MCU projects. How did you want to approach this score in terms of tone and instrumentation and set it apart from the MCU?
Michael Paraskevas: That was a conversation that we were really deliberate about from the beginning. Actually, some of our first ideas were in this more traditional superhero Marvel sound, but we found that that didn't fit at all in that we're exploring these really broken characters. They're all kind of villainous in different ways. We still need to find a way to reflect that darkness, but also [while] sympathizing with them.
I think one of the easiest things we did was just avoid the traditional orchestral sound altogether. Our main ensemble was 46 strings, six trombones, and a tuba. No French horns, no trumpets—these things that are more evocative of the big Hollywood heroic sound. Then, to supplement that, we recorded different soloists and would manipulate their recordings so they sound familiar [and] organic, but also sort of twisted. [We’d] talk about playing notes wrong, and stuff like that.
You’ve done other MCU projects. How much did you pull from past projects, and how much did this differ?
Michael Paraskevas: Obviously, there are connections to WandaVision, so we sprinkle in Wanda's theme in a couple places—as we're tying it together with Billy—and also use the love theme between Wanda and Vision in a couple of key moments.
Agatha had an older theme in WandaVision, [and] in episode five, we play that as she's encountering her mom's ghost, connecting that to Agatha's previous trauma. I think there are connections in that way. And then, as we talked about, [it’s] departing from the kind of classic Marvel sound and exploring something that's a little different, a little more eerie, a little weird, and having fun with that.
Paraskevas Discusses Leaning Into Different Characters & Settings
From Rio and Billy Maximoff’s Themes, To Genre-Fied Trials, To The Salem Seven
You wrote a bunch of themes for this. Do you mind walking through one or two of your favorites and talking about what you wanted to say with them?
Michael Paraskevas: One of my favorite themes is Rio's theme because there's so much duality to it, and so much exploring the mystery of her character. We talked about her romantic relationship with Agatha, and there's this sensuality that it's also kind of unsettling and eerie. And she's also, as Death, this unstoppable force of nature, and so she has this badass quality. Musically, [it was about] playing in between those two worlds. We recorded [me] playing clarinet and then would twist it, and make it sounds foreign and weird. That's what kind of gives this ghostly quality to her character.
Another thing that I really loved working on was Billy's theme. He’s the modern-day witch, so [while] a lot of the palette outside of him is more organic sounds and organic textures, we lean into this synth production. [We’re] also exploring his feminine energy and this emo goth kid energy, so we have some guitars, we have some female vocals associated with him, and then we also sprinkle in this connection to Wanda's theme using a similar sort of phrase structure in three-note building blocks. [There is] stuff like that, little Easter eggs, that audiences have picked up on.
With the different trials, each one is kind of its own genre and they all go into these really cool directions. How did you want to emphasize that with the score?
Michael Paraskevas: Exploring the trials was really fun. We have this sort of ticking clock trial idea. It's not really a theme—it's more like a palette that's sort of the foundation for all of these things—and we build on [it] each episode. Episode seven with Lila is the full embodiment of that ticking clock idea.
Then, for then exploring each genre, we pick very specific instruments or specific colors to really supplement that. So we have, in the recording studio, the psychedelic guitars, and you'll hear that throughout that episode. And then [in] the ‘80s one, you hear some John Carpenter synths and we bring in some woodwinds. We didn't really use [woodwinds] much throughout the show, but in that episode [we did] to evoke the Amblin era—Poltergeist, and The Goonies, and that sort of stuff. It’s fun building that palette for each one.
The Salem Seven are creepier than anything else in the show. How did you want to [accompany] that with music?
Michael Paraskevas: Yeah, it was scary the first time I watched that. For them, we have sort of a theme. It's not a melodic thing, but it's actually more of this texture and this rhythmic motif. It’s in 7/4, for the Salem Seven, and [it’s] this repetitive percussive thing. It feels relentless as they're following and pursuing them, kind of capturing that [feeling].
Then, we also incorporated different animal sounds, processed it, [and] sprinkled [it] into their music—the animals that they shapeshift into and represent. [Those are] definitely the most twisted and gnarled up recordings. Also, my friend came over and we recorded… we've got three violins and we were both bowing either side, making these weird eerie drone textures, and just coming up with really fun stuff and seeing how it works.
Paraskevas Reflects On Working With Key Songs From Agatha All Along & WandaVision
Even “Agatha All Along” From WandaVision Makes An Appearance
Image via Disney+
“The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” has been stuck in my head for a month now. It’s inescapable. I know the Lopezes wrote that, but how involved were you with that song and all of its different iterations across the series?
Michael Paraskevas: It was really fun working with them. When Chris (Beck) and I got on board, the songs were already planned out throughout the episodes, [including] how they build on each other. But when we came in, we worked on the orchestral accompaniment underneath those different iterations and helped tie that together with the score. Then, we, additionally, would sprinkle in the melody throughout in very key spots as they're discussing the Road and understanding what that is. [We did that] from the very beginning in episode one—Agatha’s driving along whistling the tune in her car, and then the score just picks it up on piano and we sprinkle these breadcrumbs throughout. Then, by the time the coven’s performing it on camera, the audience is already somewhat familiar with it and it's this really rewarding experience.
There was an “Agatha All Along” song in WandaVision. Was that going to be in this?
Michael Paraskevas: We actually do reference it once. It's in the first episode when Agatha is in the morgue and she's taking off her costumes, and it is kind of Agatha's self-realization of who she is. We kind of tease the bassline from “Agatha All Along”, and then when she finally is in black-and-white full glory, we play this big epic orchestral version of it. It’s not as obvious, but it's there. I even saw people on Reddit who were like, “If you speed this up to 200%, you can hear this.” I'm like, “Well, yeah. That's it.”
Paraskevas Reveals A Favorite Finale Moment
It Has To Do With Agatha's Backstory
Do you have a favorite musical moment or moment that you got to score from the finale?
Michael Paraskevas: I love the opening. The very opening sequence of the finale is just an incredible piece of filmmaking all around. Musically, it was really fun because it starts off with this a cappella, ethereal vocal chant—we recorded these eight women singing—and the sequence is Agatha running. She's running through the woods, running away from death, and she's pregnant and giving birth.
We’re tapping into this very primal aspect of her and her journey, and it feels like such a departure from the rest of the show, but I think it's just a really beautiful moment. Honestly, when I still watch it, I still kind of tear up. I think, seeing it portrayed the way it is, it's just an incredible moment.
He’s Helped Introduce Multiple Members Of The Comics’ Young Avengers
You've scored so many MCU characters at this point, a lot of whom we’re still kind of waiting to [see again]. Who have you had the most fun writing for, and who would you most like to see come back soon?
Michael Paraskevas: I love Billy's journey in this episode, and I think… I don't really know what the future plans are, but I think it's cool setting the groundwork for that. Then, I loved working on WandaVision and Vision's arc, and he ends that show with this journey. I'm curious to see what the next show does with that—this sort of WandaVision trilogy. It's been fun building that. [I’m also interested in seeing] what the Young Avengers [do], because I also worked on Hawkeye as well, with Kate Bishop. I’m curious to see this next wave, next generation of Marvel heroes.
About Agatha All Along
Agatha Harkness, after the events of "WandaVision," seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
Agatha All Along is streaming now on Disney+.
Agatha Harkness, after the events of "WandaVision," seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
CastKathryn Hahn , Joe Locke , Sasheer Zamata , Ali Ahn , Okwui Okpokwasili , Debra Jo Rupp , Patti LuPone , Aubrey Plaza , David Payton , Emma Caulfield Ford , David Lengel , Asif Ali , Amos Glick , Elaine Valdes , Paria Akbarshahi , Chau Naumova , Bethany Curry , Athena Perample , Alicia Vela-Bailey , Britta Grant , Marina Mazepa
Character(s) Agnes O'Connor / Agatha Harkness , Teen , Jennifer Kale , Alice Wu-Gulliver , Salem Seven / Vertigo , Mrs. Hart , Lilia Calderu , Rio Vidal , Herb , Dottie , Jones , Norm , Dennis the Mailman , Customer #1 , Customer #2 , Salem Seven / Coyote , Salem Seven / Crow , Salem Seven / Fox , Salem Seven / Owl , Salem Seven / Rat , Salem Seven / Snake
Image via Disney+ 
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